Many people utilize portable devices to heat volatile substances such as mosquito repellents as part of camping gear or for various outdoor activities where there exists a threat of mosquitoes. Such volatile substances most commonly are either insect control active ingredients or air treatment materials, such as air fresheners. The mosquito repellent systems are manifold, and for camping or special uses, it is desirous that the mosquito repellent system be portable and easy to operate.
An example of a prior art mosquito repellent system is that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,605, assigned to the instant assignee. In that device, a butane cartridge supplies fuel to uniformly heat a thermally conductive plate upon which a mat containing volatile insect repellent is positioned. When the plate is sufficiently heated, the insect repellent is volatilized and thereby dispensed. The evaporation of the insecticide and its dispersion causes mosquitoes to be repelled for a reasonable space around the portable mosquito repellent device.
However, there is a need in the art for a dispensing device that is battery operated—thereby avoiding the need for hydrocarbon combustion.